Process of preparing vegetable fibers.



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lellfi iillll GEQld'G-E I). BURTON", F IBOSTGN, MASSSJUGHUSETTS, ASSIGNQR re BUBTQN 001%- OE BOSTON, MASSACHEsETiE, A. CQRPOBATEQN 53E HASSdGHUSETTS.

successor rnnseinino v-nan'rnnan means.

misses.

Specification of Letters iatut.

' Patented Nov. a, rare.

No Drawing. Original application filed March 27, 1918, Serial Ho. 757,0?8. Divided and this application filed. April e, 1914. Serial-No. 830,093.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown' that I, Gnonon BURTON,

a-citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of 'Sufiolk and. State of Massachusetts, have invented an Iinprovement in Processes of Preparing Vegetable Fibers, of which the following .jisfa specification.

- for use in the arts, they have been In the treatment-offibrous material, such as fiax, ramie', -sisal, hemp, jute and other kinds of straws and grasses, to adapt them 8- uinmed, ormore strictly speakin pain ll-S ammonla,

tially degummed. The. gummy su stance which is removed is the natural binder which holds together the tiny fibers and when eliminated the fibers become separated so thatthc degunnnedfibrous material lacks some of its natural adhesive properties.

The invention forming the subject matter of my application #7 57,078, filed March 27, 1913, of which this application is a division, relates to the'treatinent offibrous materials such. as above referred to, after they have been degumined, by subjecting them to a treatment involving the employment of an oil, agrease, or in fact anyoily substance, either animal,- vegetable or mineral, which is added to the degummed fibrous materials to take the place of the gummy substance which has been .removed by the degumming' process,'thereby restoring said materials more nearly to their natural state, and giv ing to them the feel and'streng'th and many of the general characteristics of Wool, etc. As the degummed material which is to be treated is of a vegetable origin, a vegetable oil ispreferably employed.

One way of carrying out saidinvention,

ried only so far or continued only so long as to out the oil-and break itur to minute ga i nranrn iilllillll i globules, or particles, but not entirely destroy the globules or particles, and such partially saponified oil is mixed with water and forms an emulsion, the water serving as a carrier for the bily "particles, in which said particles are suspended. If saponification was carried further the product would be'a soap, and the globules or particles of oil too much broken up would be destroyed, and would not produce'the results sought. The emulsion thus produced may consist of say one pound to five pounds more or less of olive-oil-,'one-half pound of 26% ammonia, and ten gallons of softv water. The :degumme'd fibrous material. is then treated iv'ith this emulsion, in the presence of the minute oily particles therein contained,

whereupon it absorbs-them, at least to; a certain. extent. More ater may be added to ,the solution if necessary. .If'the emulsion is contained in an agitator and the process will be expedited, .as the emulsion .will more quickly reach all parts of the fibrous material. In fact, in the practice of my process a revoluble 'a'gitator' is preferred, s milar to tha shown and described .ia'Letters Patentlissuod to me #976,77 9,

dated November 22, 1910, but any other form of agitator may be, employed, so that a detailed description of the same is un necessary. The emulsion may be maintained at about room temperature, as such temperature is conducive to the ready evaporation of theammonia. The fibrous material needbe. submerged only for a short period of time, as it rapidly absorbs the emulsion, the oily particles being car ried freely into and incorporated with the When the ammonia evaporates the partially saponified oil alone is left to be absorbed by the fibers. As a result the fibers are given an increased; strength,

longer durability and are capable of a much finer, smoother and evener finish when subsequently spun into a yarn or other article of manufacture. The substitution of an oil or equivalent substance for the gummy fibrous material submerged therein, the

substance which has been removed is a very valuable, essential and important step in preserving the lasting qualities of the fiber and yarns and other articles of manufacture.

. which may be -made I of "the fibers. The

s in the arts.

T a to treat the fibrous ma'terial, so as' to obtain-- much better "advantage than the ordinary degummed fibrous material. The emulsion has a tendency to give to'the fibrous materralmore nearly its natural color as used My present invention has for its object the results heretofore described and in addition thereto to bleach 'orf'whitenthe same;

and consists in adding to the aforesaid emulsion an acid, preferably one having a. vegetable base, such-as oxalic acid, (Nor-' wegian), thereby giving tb theemulsion qualities by whichthis result may be" at tained. In the example heretofore described, eight ounces of oxalic acid (Nor;

wegian), may be added tothe emulsion after partial saponification has taken'place:

-and the oily particles arethus held in sus pension. The acid treated emulsion thus describedperforms the functions of softening, strengthening, oiling and also bleaching or whitening the fibrous material, and the fibrous material treated by itdoes not deteriorate-with age, and the manufactured products will attain a good gloss and finish,

entirely degummed, as is'ordinaril'y the case by the usual degumming process, and the partially de'gummed material is made intov binder twine, certain insects attack the tw ne and subsist upon it and cause it to become weakened and to break, hence the use of the ordinarydegummed flax for binder-twine ispractically prohibitive. Anotherreason detrimental toitsuse is that the gum dulls the cutting devices on the binding-machine,

and also is deposited .on them, impairing their efficiency. So also its use for many other purposes very limited, but by my treatment it is restored tofa condition "approximately its natural state, as regardsits strength and quality, and madditlo'n thereflax-straw, grown for flax-seed, from whlch to may be bleached or whitened. In case of linseed-oil is made, the linseed-oil is natu? I rally of an oily character and after the flaxstraw has been degummed then linseed-oil in its natural state may be added to advantage to restore the degummed flax-straw to a condition which makes it very useful'in the arts. In such cases the'linseed-oil may I be added to the fibrous product by a frictional method instead of by partial saponiv fica'tion, as for instance, the oil may be beated to a proper temperature, say about F. which liquefies it to such anextent as to admit of its flowing readily, and in this ,condition it may be id'dedin the form of form of agitator. stancesgmay be added to the fibrous matefibrous material.

spray to thefibrous material while the latter is being agitatedin a revoluble'or other So also other.oily subrial inthis way, it being divided into minute particles by a mechanical'action in the form of a spray instead of by a partial sapon'ifi-' cation if desired. In such instances an acid may beaddedto the oily substance for the purpose of bleachingcor whitening the ing the fibrous material to the .contact of minute particles of an oily substance and an acid.

I 3. The process-of treating degumn'ied fibrous material which consists.individing an oily substance into minute partlcles in a liquid carrier, adding thereto; an acid, and

submerging the fibrous material in said carrierin the presence of the particles suspended therein and agitating the same.

j '4. The process of treating degummed yet all of these results may be accomplished by the treatment during a single operation.

- When 'fibrousmaterial such as flax is notfibrous material vwhich consists in partially to an acid, and then subjecting the fibrous material to the action of the same.

saponifying an oily substance with an alka- 2. The process of treating degummed' fibrous material which-consists in agitating sapcnifying an oily substance with an alkaline saponifying agent and adding there-- The process of treating degummed "fibrous material which'consists in partially line saponifying agent, adding thereto an acid having avegetable base, and then subjecting the fibrous material to the action of the same.

'6. The process of treating. degummedi. fibrous material which consists in partially saponifying an'oily substance with a' volatile alkaline saponifying agent, adding thereto an acid andthen subjecting the fibrous material to the action of the same.

fibrous materialwhich consists in forming 7.- The process of treating" degummed I an emulsion of an oily substance with water and a saponifying agent, and adding thereto an acid and submerging the fibrous material therein.

:8. The process I of treating degumme'd fibrous material which consists in forming an emulsion of an oily substance withwater and a volatile 'saponifying agent and'adding thereto an acid and submerging. the fibrous material therein I a 9. The process of treating. degummed fibrous material which consists in forming an emulsion of an oily substance with water and ammonia and adding thereto an acld and submerging the fibr s snaterial therein.

w iEmfiEm & CHEMICAL MODEFL gumg'g mwgww swam OF TEXTl LES & FIBERS,

F10. The process bf treating. dgumnied name to this specifiation in the presence of fibrous materifal which consists in forming t'wo subscribing witnesses. I v an emulsion 0 anoily substance with water and mw lmonia and adding thereto an' acid BURTON wisth a vegetable base and submerging the Witnesses: nfibrous material therein. E. F. Pmmrson,

' I1; testimony whergqf, I-have signed my FRANKLIN P. S'IMONDB. 

